


How We Got Where We Are

by Origami_Roses



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Introspecitve, Sensuality vs Sexuality, first person POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Origami_Roses/pseuds/Origami_Roses
Summary: Short, introspective backstory ficlets for various characters, based largely on the internal ramblings and monologues in canon.





	1. Intoxicating - Christophe Giacometti, Pre-Canon

**Author's Note:**

> I recently discovered Yuri!!! On Ice while looking for visual references for some art I'm doing, and found it charmingly hilarious. I giggled my way through the whole series and ended up with a sleepy brain full of character notes that somehow turned into this.
> 
> I don't do erotica and barely do romance, but will be touching on such themes as well as gay relationships in general due to the characters themselves. Bullying, death, substance abuse and poor family dynamics will also be mentioned. Though there will be no graphic descriptions of any sort, if you have a problem with any of those themes, no matter how lightly touched upon, feel free to leave now.
> 
> The vignettes will be first person, which I rarely try to write, and I hope I do them well.

I would call myself a sensualist, if I had to pick one word to describe myself. My earliest and strongest memories are sense-based: the way my mother's hair caressed my cheek as she held me close while we watched summer storms move across the mountains. The smell of sweat and sawdust mixed in the warmth of my father's workshop. The sound and feel of my skates on the ice and the bite of the winter wind in my hair the first time skating with my cousins. The rush of flying and shock of impact the first time I successfully landed a jump. The feather-light kiss of snowflakes on my skin...

Skating was, from the beginning, a source of ecstasy. There is nothing quite like the chill of the rink on skin hot from exertion, and the looseness and burn of slightly overworked muscles. The pounding of your own pulse against the beat of the music, pushing you find your limits, and then to surpass them. People call me sexy, but it's always been more about the sensuality of the ice for me. The first time I had sex, the satisfaction was comparable to landing my first perfect triple axel mere weeks before. It's not that I don't like sex - sex is great, I thoroughly and frequently enjoy it. It's that sex is not a unique pleasure. I can get nearly as much enjoyment from the feel of silk or fur on my skin as from the caress of a lover's hands, and perfecting a new move - stretching my limits - euphoric. It is much easier to have good sex than to perfect a new move, and unlike landing the fifteenth successful jump, sex has kept a similar level of pleasure each time. But the pleasures of being on the ice are legion, beyond that occasional orgasmic high, and last much longer than the afterglow of good sex. I can spend hours at a time at the rink, practicing, and I enjoy every second.

Even just skating lazy circles is sufficient - the light grinding friction as the blades scrape slightly on the turns, the chill breeze in my hair, the feel of my muscles moving, heart pumping and balance shifting... my mind can go blank in all the best ways as I stretch and spin across the ice, losing myself to the motion. I'm getting a bit hot just thinking about it...

It was Victor who showed me how to put that into my skating. Competing against him at the European Championships my first year in the Senior Division was eye-opening. Up to that point, I had never found the sort of visceral enjoyment in another's performance that I found in my own. Watching him skate, I could almost feel his pleasure in the music and movement as if it were my own. I still remember the feeling of cellophane crinkling around the rose he gave me. For the first time, I truly understood that the people watching could share my pleasure. Their applause and shouts are in some ways akin to the soft moans of a lover. I learned to use my body to express that. More people can relate to the physicality of enjoying the heat of another's body than the touch of the ice, and I studied various forms of erotic and exotic dance to convey the intense excitement - and, yes, arousal - I find there.

Our worlds both center around the ice, and Victor and I soon moved past rivals to become friends. We understand each other in ways few others can. In competition, we know there will be no quarter given - we give our all in performance. It is not worth competing otherwise. Outside of the arena, we laugh and dance and flirt and challenge each other in ridiculous contests and dares. He was the first man I kissed. We are good friends, occasional lovers, both knowing it will never be more than that. The ice will always be our first love, the stage of all our conquests and our refuge from the stresses of the world. Skating a difficult routine perfectly is transcendental. The constant search for such perfection is intoxicating. It is something neither Victor nor I will ever be able to give up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me trying to get into Chris's head - he is projecting his own feelings onto Victor and assuming they are much the same. (Trust me, they're not, Victor's chapter is already half written.)
> 
> Chris comes across (to me) as pan sexual, pan romantic, inveterate flirt, something of a playboy... but ultimately more inclined to seeking sensual than sexual experiences. (skinny dipping in a freezing pool - and fully expecting to enjoy it? team exhibition pole dancing just for the dance? getting hot and bothered by his own skating? ...those are more sensual than sexual, even though Chris found at least one of them arousing.)


	2. Exuberance - Phichit Chulanont, Pre-Canon

I got started skating later than most who compete, mostly due to lack of opportunity. Thailand is hot, humid, and you have to deliberately seek out ice. For most, ice is enjoyed by adding it to a drink.

I started with Tai Chi, actually. My grandmother was my main caretaker while my parents were at work. When I was about four, she broke her hip and I spent the days at our neighbors' house while she recovered. They were Chinese and had a son - Pei - about my age. We had often played together. His grandfather lived with them and was very good at Tai Chi. He taught us. It was a game at the time - who could get the best extension or smoothest transition or balance the longest, but I quickly fell in love with Tai Chi and got to where it was a normal part of my morning. Grandpa Li was an excellent teacher! He continued teaching me even after my grandmother was better. She started learning, too, after talking with her physical therapist and being told Tai Chi was a good exercise, as long as she was careful to not overdo it. It was fun practicing with Grandma! 

A couple years later the Lis had cousins come for an extended visit. One of Pei's Uncles was a highly respected Kung Fu master, and he put on a demonstration for all the neighborhood kids. Watching him jump higher than my father's head in a spin-kick was very impressive! I could see similarities in the movements of Tai Chi and Kung Fu, and watching a slow stretch turn into a swift strike fascinated me. With my parents permission, I spent a great deal more time at Pei's house than usual, much of it spent probably being a complete nuisance asking about Kung Fu. Uncle Xiao was nice about it, though, and gave Pei and I basic lessons and exercises to do and pointers on learning to jump high and land safely. Pei was not nearly as interested as I. 

After the cousins left, I begged my parents into letting me take Kung Fu lessons. It was hard to find a good teacher nearby and I ended up in a mixed martial arts class instead. It was more about brutal force than speed and flow and I didn't care much for it. I kept up with Tai Chi and jump exercises on the side, but quit the classes after a few months when Uncle Xiao came back for another visit and to participate in a World Music and Arts Festival. 

My father was on the Commission for the Arts, helping organize and run the Festival and we got VIP tickets with entrance to _everything_. Uncle Xiao was doing demonstrations of Kung Fu, Sword and Monkey Staff. I watched and cheered for him, of course. There were also 'exotic' dancers (which my mother didn't want me to watch - but Grandpa Li took us anyway) and the very best of traditional Thai dancers. The belly dancers and ballet dancers were incredible and I was in awe at the aerial silk artists and gymnastic routines! The music was incredible, too - there were concerts of all sorts of genres, from classical to American Country to Japanese Visual Kei. I don't think I slept for the excitement the whole week! 

Several of the performing dance groups included whole families with kids even younger than I was who performed on the stage. My father was able to arrange for us to meet a few of them and I had such fun learning about their lives and cultures. I think my exuberance scared a few of the younger kids at first - or maybe they were just shy of stranger in general - but it wasn't long before we were friends. I still keep in touch with a few of them, and we follow each other on Instagram. The life of a travelling performer is not an easy one, and most will never become wealthy. They were in it because of their passion for the art, love of travel, and a dozen other reasons. It's so cool to see the places they go and Extravaganzas they're in, and I love sharing my life with them as well! Oh, and all my other followers too, of course! You are all awesome! 

Begging my parents into dance lessons went much better than martial arts. There were many good teachers to choose from and I ended up in both belly dancing and gymnastics. Grandpa Li started teaching me more advanced Tai Chi as well. I love it all! 

I was ten the first time I went Ice Skating. As I mentioned, Thailand's climate is not conducive to natural ice, so ice skating is something you have to actually go looking for. That year, an Ice Arena was opened in our city. I was eager to try, having been entranced by the Olympic ice dancers on television the year before. The Grand Opening of the arena included a free half hour lesson with purchase of entry ticket. I went so often that first week that all the instructors knew me by name. I absolutely fell in love with it! 

They had a good offer on a year of coaching, so I quit the belly dancing and cut back on gymnastics to focus on ice skating. I entered my first competition when I was twelve. I didn't win, but it cemented my love for the sport. I wish everyone could have as much fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... Phichit is the exuberant puppy who jumps on every ball that comes his way. He's one of my favorite characters. He makes me giggle so much. ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> {For those who decide to look up Yuri to watch the episodes (search 'yuri on ice, episode #'), you'll generally find better quality on the facebook links than youtube. ~_* }


End file.
